I wanted to give a huge shout out this week to Big Alice Brewing in Long Island City.

Last week, I wrote about Craft at C’est Cheese in Port Jefferson, and spoke about their hospitality. The Craft Beer industry is all about friendship, community, hospitality, and supporting each other.

I want to thank Larissa and Annie, our awesome bartenders on a rainy Saturday evening in early October. Our experience at a brewery is as important as the taste of the beer, in my opinion. I was joined by my wife, Holly Kay, who had a rehearsal nearby, and our friend Brad, of Bradco Brew (@itsbradco on Instagram!)

It was my first time visiting the brewery, although I’d tried a few Big Alice beers at Astoria Bier and Cheese (the most notable being Salted Caramel, a tart, salty, sweet brown ale which is pretty mind boggling to think about…), and at The Jeffrey (Queens Honey Brown, a sweet, malty, subtle brown ale that perfectly compliments the amazing, salty pretzels The Jeffrey serves).

What I love about Big Alice is their ability to offer a beer for any type of palate. (Insert diatribe about how the IPA market is saturated, how hops are ruining beer, whine, whine, whine, complain, complain, complain, etc.) I love IPAs, I will seek out the juicy, 0 IBU milkshake beer, and the palate destroying, 100 IBU, dank, bitter IPA. But I love variety every once in a while. So, when I stepped foot out of the rain, soaking wet, and into the brewery and, out of 13 taps, only two were IPAs, my smile grew ear to ear.

Me, upon entering the Tap Room…

A White Stout? A Jalapeño Rye? Multiple different sours? This place is cray cray (that’s what the kids say nowadays, yeah?) I knew I was in for a trip around the beer world on the wings of a Malted Falcon (I just made that up, but it’s my new band name, so…) and I was ready to fly… (Also I now just realize that Malted Falcon is also a pun on “Maltese Falcon” so I’m smart and funny don’t you think? Anyone? Anyone? )

The first beer I tried was Peach Gose (pronounced Gose-uhhhhhh). This was the perfect start to my flight, tart, dry, crisp, and salty. Summertime in a glass. Next, when Bradco arrived, I tried the Hibiskas Goes-uh. The floral notes added a nice balance to this salty, tart Gose. Another fantastic, wildly imaginative brew.

The tap room was nearly filled with large groups of people, which rotated about every 15 minutes. I asked Larissa, the first bartender I met, if anyone ever stumbles upon the tap room (Big Alice is located deep in an industrial section of Long Island City, so for me, it seemed like a destination). They said they get a lot of runners and bikers who see the large sign on Vernon Avenue, which runs along the East River.

The Brewhouse!

I then met the other bartender, Annie, who was just as friendly as Larissa. I started talking about the blog, and how my last post was about Moustache Brewing Company and how I visited them when they canned their first beer. Larissa said, “That’s funny, because my boyfriend helped them can as well!” TURNS OUT, that JAY, from that very blog post, was Larissa’s boyfriend! The Craft Beer world is smaller than you think!

IIIIIT’S A SMALL WORLD AAAAAFTER ALLLLLLL (I’m so, so sorry….)

Jay came by later in the evening for a beer. And, since this is a beer blog, I will talk about that beer.

Our unanimous favorite beer of the night was the Jalapeño Rye. Untappd classifies this as a Black IPA, or Cascadian Dark Ale. The beautiful citrus from the hops is balanced by some spice from the rye, and Annie explained that they take all the seeds out of the jalapeño, so you get all the sweet, pepper flavor, without too much spice, but enough of a bite to intrigue you into another sip… And then another. And then another. It leaves you wanting more, and at 6.3% ABV, you can have another and still be even keel to enjoy the rest of your evening. Go to Big Alice right now (well, Wednesday through Sunday) and TRY THIS BEER!

Some other favorites from the evening were: the Sweet Potato Farmhouse Ale, a dry, sweet saison brewed with sweet potatoes, with bold sweetness from the potatoes, and some peppery notes from the saison yeast, and Sour One (named for it’s bitterness at 1 IBU). At 5.2% ABV, it’s a little higher than the two Goses I had earlier in the evening, but I loved the tart, acidic, fruit, and a little bit of funk, baby! I wanted to get all James Brown up in the tap room but it might have been too lit. I apologize for that last sentence.

In summary, Larissa and Annie treated Holly Kay, Bradco and I like we were family, and we really appreciated chatting with them and spending the evening in the gorgeous brewery/tap room. Holly picked up a tee shirt (she’s been collecting shirts from her favorite breweries we’ve visited throughout the year, so, Big Alice, you guys rank!) We stayed as long as we could, right until 10pm as they were closing. Thanks again for the great evening! We’re definitely going back, and you should go too!

My first visit to C’est Cheese in Port Jefferson was about 5 and a half (!!!) years ago, and in fact, it was before they even opened. I applied for a job there, as they were set to open in the upcoming few weeks, and Holly Kay and I had just gotten married, and moved back to Long Island. I put in my application, and, less than a week later, before their hiring even began, I was offered a job at Unnamed Fruit Themed Technology Company. My journey with Unnamed Fruit Themed Technology Company eventually led Holly Kay and I back to the city, but I always look back and wonder what our lives would have been like if I had gotten hired at C’est Cheese. Joe (Ciardullo, the owner) is so kind and passionate about Cheese, Wine, and (you KNOW this is a blog about) Beer. I would have loved to have worked alongside him and his amazing staff, but I think NYC was singing her siren call from the moment we left.

Thankfully, we’ve been no strangers to C’est Cheese, as, each Sunday, I sing at Infant Jesus Church, which just so happens to be less than a mile down the road (bummer, right?). Now, I wouldn’t say we’re there EVERY Sunday, but I make it a point to say hello to Joe, Brittany, True, Faith and the rest of the gang as often as we can, whether we stop in for a drink or bring our entire (large) family and friends by for a meal. The space is industrial, with large, exposed ceilings, poured concrete countertops, with smaller tables up front with some banquettes where you can people watch, looking out onto Main Street, and large, farmhouse-style wooden tables in the back.

My Dad has enjoyed many a Founders Breakfast Stout here. My Mom has fallen in love with Framboise here. Holly Kay had the first Sip of one of her favorite beers here (I won’t say the name because it was exclusive, or, as I like to say, ‘sclusie…). It’s been a place where we’ve created so many amazing memories over the past 5 and a half years. I can’t imagine what life was like before Holly and I were married, and I can’t imagine what our lives would be like without C’est Cheese in them (right, Holl?).

When I first saw a Social Media post from C’est Cheese saying “Coming Soon: Craft at C’est Cheese“, my interest was piqued. WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN? I pictured Ron Howard directing some sort of Da Vinci Code-esque mystery film about it. BUT GUESS WHAT, GUYS, I FIGURED OUT THE MYSTERY. Joe partnered with Chris Roche, who was (and is) running C’est Beer, the exclusive Craft Beer Membership Club (of which I am a proud member!), and opened a bar and bottle shop in the storage space behind the restaurant. It’s an amazing concept, you can get a pint or growler (32oz. or 64oz.) of some amazing (very locally focused) Craft Beer, and pick out beer from their more than 200 bottle and can selection. I’ve seen beer from our dear friends at Moustache Brewing Co., Finback Brewing, Grimm Artisinal Ales, and LIC Beer Project (THESE GUYS ARE AMAZING).

Last Sunday, Holly and I enjoyed some Sand City Mofosaic (holy shnikes, bursting with citrus and floral notes with just a touch of sweetness), and had a beer and cheese tasting of Other Half Brewing Co. Sunrise at the Oasis Saison (now, just try NOT to sing “Midnight at the Oasis“, because you just can’t, and Holly and I sang it out loud and proud as soon as Chris mentioned the name) and an aged manchego. The citrus, stone fruit and spice from the amazing saison contrasted perfectly the earthiness and nuttiness from the manchego. We’ve also gotten to know Chris’ wife Erin Roche, who helps run Craft, and loves it as much as Joe and Chris do. The passion that everyone we’ve met at C’est Cheese and Craft over the years is so exciting. It keeps us coming back to watch these folks do what they love, and chat about it.

Beer comes out of the tap, beer goes directly in mouth…I love that the beers are organized by style, to make things just a little easier…

You want cold beer? They’ve got a fridge, baby. You got it.

#drinklocal

“SWAG. STUFF. WE. ALL. GET.” -Michael Scott

I don’t want to ramble on and on, because I think both C’est Cheese and Craft speak for themselves, but do yourselves a favor, and pay a visit to these fine folks, drink some amazing beer and wine, enjoy delicious cheese, sandwiches, and appetizers (YO, THOSE SPICY GOAT BITES) and just have a great time, because that’s what life’s all about. And do it while listening to “Midnight at the Oasis” because now I’m on my second listen to it on YouTube because I’ve mentioned it and it’s an amazing tune.

Anyway, head over to 216B Main Street, Port Jefferson, NY 11777 to check out C’est Cheese and Craft! In fact, just text me when you’re going and I’ll meet you there. 😉 winky face.

My dear sweet Holly Kay celebrated her birthday yesterday, so I figured this would be an appropriate place to gush and fawn over how special she is to me.

Without her, I never would have started this blog, and, since starting this blog, we’ve gone on so many different adventures and short trips, which provide some much needed relaxation and a chance to get away and simply be together and enjoy our time together.

We’re heading to Ireland in 3 weeks to celebrate our 5th (and a half-ish) Anniversary, and each getaway we’ve taken since staring this blog in April, and since booking our trip in late June, has only emphasized how amazing our 8-day, 6-night vacation will be.

So, I would like to celebrate my love, Holly Kay, by showing off how stunningly beautiful she is, with a ton of pictures, some from our adventures, some from our nights out on the town here in NYC. She’s a special gal, y’all, and you all should let her know how beautiful she is! I don’t know where I’d be without here!

When one flies on a plane, one drinks Woodford Reserve… It’s just plane delicious! This is Holly’s go to drink when we’re 30,000 feet in the air.

This is from one of our first visits to Moustache Brewing Co., on July 4th, 2014, before we went to Chris and Caroline’s Wedding!

Our favorite neighborhood sushi restaurant, Happy Kitchen, has hot sake. In tiny cups. Who wouldn’t want to drink out of a tiny cup?

I’m so sorry for the flash on this picture. But HK looks super cute, and we’re at another neighborhood favorite, Unidentified Flying Chickens, a wonderful Korean Fried Chicken and Craft Beer Bar in gorgeous Jackson Heights.

If you’re in Midtown Manhattan for a show, and you’re in a rush, don’t go to Bareburger on Restaurant Row. If you’re not in a rush, go to Bareburger on Restaurant Row. Have a mimosa.

I wanted to do a quick shout out this week to As Is, a cool new Craft Beer bar on 50th St. and 10th Ave. in Hell’s Kitchen, NYC.

I was invited here by my awesome (also craft beer fanatic) friends, led by Brandon, who had been telling me about this place for a while and texting pictures of their beer menu each time he showed up there, as a reminder that he was cooler than I was because he was at a new Craft Beer bar and I wasn’t (how dare he?).

I got there a little earlier than Brandon, Clint, Rick, and Samson, who all came in a cab from Brooklyn (plus it was raining), and I ordered an Other Half Equinox/Topaz, a bright, citrusy Double IPA, dried off from the stormy weather outside (I didn’t have an umbrella) and made a Facebook Live video talking about beer and general silliness.

Thinking of tropical islands while watching seas of umbrellas and glistening city streets…

Someone had their eyes closed in nearly every picture I took of humans this evening…

Clint flipped because they still had a keg of Tröegs Brewing Company Nimble Giant, a super nicely balanced Double IPA, with notes of pine, orange citrus, and cherry sweetness from the malt. I’ve dubbed this beer the “Heady Topper of Pennsylvania” (please don’t be triggered by this. I’m silly.)

Brandon flipped because they had a Modern Times takeover, featuring some awesome hop-forward IPAs and Pale Ales, and a few roasty, toasty Imperial Stouts. The highlight for me was the Orderville IPA, hopped with Mosaic (I WILL SING MOSAIC’S SWEET, SWEET SONG FROM ON MOUNTAIN HIGH!) and Simcoe (DITTO!). It was like sipping on tropical punch. Also try: Blazing World, a Red IPA, and Fruitlands Gose (my favorite one is the Apricot variant!).

The boys!

I did one more Facebook Live video (THE FUTURE) interviewing the boys and again, being generally silly… Check that out HERE!

Brandon, one of the owners, was behind the bar that evening, and was super hospitable, and very excited about what a great fit they were for Hell’s Kitchen (they’re practically neighbors with Pony Bar, and just a few blocks from Beer Culture, two heavy hitters in Hell’s Kitchen and in the NYC Craft Beer scene). I think these guys will do just fine.

I didn’t have a chance to eat anything on my first visit, but I’ll absolutely come back and eat from their menu of small plates and sandwiches (if the words “Burrata with 18 month Prosciutto” don’t make you salivate, then you’re a robot).

Brandon brought us some Modern Times SWAG, and Samson decided he should make it rain…

Absolutely check this place out (great for stopping by for amazing craft beer, food, and cocktails after a Broadway show!)

I’ll leave you with a really cool photo that Clint took, check him out, he’s @bktexan on Instagram!